Why does everyone want to know your mother’s name in Hungary?

Natural identifier data in Hungary

When we are talking about how to identify a person, various types of data are available. The simplest distinction is between natural and artificial identifiers.

• Natural identifier data: data that are derived from the real world, such as name, date and place of birth, address.
• Artificial identifier data: data that were generated specifically for data management purposes, such as passport number, social security number, tax number, ID card number, ID number.

In Hungary, the data used most widely for identification are four pieces of natural identifier data, sometimes referred to as 4T (T stands for “természetes”, meaning “natural”):

• Your name
• Your mother’s name at birth
• Your date of birth
• Your place of birth (town and country)

Considering these to be core data in Hungary has historical reasons. Your name is a basic piece of information, but two people can share the same name, while you are also allowed to change your name any time (as a result, sometimes forms ask for your own name at birth too). To make identification reliable, the name is required together with 3 pieces of data that are not subject to change. However, since it might happen that people of the same name are born on the same day at the same hospital, the mother’s name is added as an extra measure.

(Some history: back in the 1800s, the first “document” people used to have was the birth certificate. And on the birth certificate, the mother’s name meant her maiden name because married woman used to take their husband’s name, so it wouldn’t have made sense to list Kovács József as the father and Kovács Józsefné as the mother. Also, boys often received their father’s given name, which would not have helped making a distinction, while not everyone had a father to list – but sure everyone had a mother. So the “mother’s maiden name” was the thing most people had for sure as an additional piece of distinctive information apart from date and place of birth.)

Artificial data are less widely used for identification because various authorities may or may not have the license to manage those. Moreover, some artificial identifiers contain personal information, the management of which might require an additional license.

Your mother’s name

Whenever a form asks for your mother’s name, it means your mother’s maiden name, which is your mother’s full name given to her when she was born (both the family name and the given name). This is because people can change their name (women especially often do that in Hungary when they get married), but the mother’s original name will not change.

Things you might see on a form:

• anyja neve, meaning “mother’s name”, which is short for
• anyja leánykori neve, meaning “mother’s maiden name”, or
• anyja születési neve, meaning “mother’s name at birth”.

These all refer to the same piece of information described above.

What to write on forms in Hungary?

If you are coming from a country where your mother’s name is not considered part of your core data, you might find it puzzling when Hungarian forms ask for it, especially if your documents do not contain this piece of information so there is no easy way for Hungarian authorities to check it. Don’t worry! Just consider your mother’s full name at birth, and write it on the document.

There is only one thing you must watch out for: once you have determined your mother’s name, always use the same name with the same spelling in Hungarian administration.

For example, when you set up a company in Hungary, you will need a tax ID, on which your mother’s name must be indicated. Then, during the incorporation, your mother’s name must be registered in the Company Registry alongside your other personal information. Make sure to use the same name there! If you are also applying for Hungarian residency, your mother’s name will be required again.

Make sure that your data match in every database you are included in to avoid issues further down the road.

Let Helpers be your guide in Hungary

Helpers is a comprehensive provider of personal and business services in Hungary with 20+ years of experience and a team of 20+ committed professionals. If you need help starting a business or obtaining residency in Hungary, just tell us about your plans and we will find solutions tailored to your needs.

Was this article useful? Follow us on Facebook or sign up for our newsletter for monthly digests.